Yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama opened the new FreshFarms Market by the White House. Next week, the fresh, local food movement will march not on the marble steps of the Capitol, but down hallways of the District’s public, charter and private schools. As part of this week’s “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” roll-out by the US Department of Agriculture, additional tools and $50 million in funds were announced to help bring healthy, local foods into schools, now, without waiting for Congress to take up school lunch re-authorization. (Which isn’t going to happen until next year.)

Also not waiting for Congress to act is the new DC Farm to School Network, which is launching “Local Flavor Week” September 21-25 as the opening foray into bringing the regions farmers into local schools. Together with the Capital Area Food Bank, Whole Foods and other community partners, DC Farm to School is coordinating a full week of taste tests, cooking demonstrations, farmer visits and nutritional education activities. The festivities kick-off Tuesday at the Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School cafeteria in Southeast DC, where local chefs Peter Smith of PS7 and Oliver Friendly of Eat and Smile Foods will compete Top Chef-style using ingredients grown in the school’s garden.

Andrea Northup, coordinator of the DC Farm to School Network, notes that the District has one of highest child obesity rates in the nation. “School-aged children consume most of their daily calories in school meals, so it makes sense that we should connect school with nearby sources of fruits and vegetables to serve in their cafeterias. The only way the District’s schoolchildren will thrive is if they are well nourished and armed with the skills they need to make healthy lifestyle choices.”

If you’re in the area, find out more about participating schools and activities — and volunteer opportunities — at dcfarmtoschool.org/localflavorweek. And to find a Farm-to-School organization in your state, take a look at the National Farm-to-School map.

PS If you didn’t catch my live tweets from the White House market opening, here’s a slideshow recap (click picture to view):

You can read more about the market opening, and see pics of the First Lady and Chef Kass (whom I missed waiting in the security line), on Cookography, Obama Foodorama and the twitter stream from @FreshFarmMktsDC.

Don’t forget it’s Fight Back Friday — visit the Food Renegade to join in!

I’ve been offline most of the week, but am catching up on the Victory Gardeners‘ flurry in response to today’s groundbreaking by First Lady Michelle Obama of the White House organic vegetable garden. While walking that fine political line of supporting organic, local foods without offending the industrial farming complex, the Obamas have lately signaled their interest in promoting healthy food, especially for kids. During a February tour of the White House kitchen, Mrs. Obama was quoted as saying,

“And when you’re dealing with kids, for example, you want to get them to try that carrot. Well, if it tastes like a real carrot and it’s really sweet, they’re going to think that it’s a piece of candy. So my kids are more inclined to try different vegetables if they’re fresh and local and delicious.”

Their own daughters eat local, organic, sustainable lunches at their exclusive Washington private school, while the farm-to-school effort in the District’s public schools is still in its infancy. So we’re thrilled to see today’s ceremony included local elementary school children, who will be involved in the garden from planting to harvesting. For those interested in replicating the White House garden at home, you can view the plans here. And if you were one of the thousands who signed the “Eat the View” petition to the First Family, be sure to sign the thank you petition too.

For those of us also concerned about the plight of the honeybee, Obama Foodorama reports that the White House will also maintain working beehives.

Our kudos to Mrs. Obama and all involved! (Now about that Food Safety Working Group …. )